Date of Award

2023

Document Type

Masters Thesis

Degree Name

M.A.

Organizational Unit

College of Arts Humanities and Social Sciences, Anthropology

First Advisor

Christina Kreps

Second Advisor

Bonnie Clark

Third Advisor

Aaron Schneider

Keywords

Heritage management, Living history, Public-private partnership, St. Augustine Florida

Abstract

The Colonial Quarter is a living history venue of Spanish and British colonial heritage in St. Augustine, Florida. Since 1966, the site has housed interpretive structures and programming related to St. Augustine’s colonial history. Over time, management of the site has fallen under the purview of the state of Florida, the city of St. Augustine, and the University of Florida Historic St. Augustine (UFHSA) Direct Support Organization, which functions as a managing agency for the state. In 2013, the UFHSA Board entered into a public-private partnership with the Colonial Quarter, LLC. This marks the first instance of private sector involvement at the site. Through a critical heritage studies lens, this thesis investigates the effect of partial privatization at the site as well as the functionality of the public-private partnership model for mitigating funding issues faced by heritage sites across the nation. It considers how different actors in the site’s public-private partnership influence the presentation of history at the Colonial Quarter as well as the benefits and challenges of this model. This research found that elements of the site demonstrated both change and continuity following partial privatization. Additionally, there are notable benefits and challenges of the Colonial Quarter’s management model. Ultimately, I argue that the public-private partnership formed between the University of Florida Historic St. Augustine Board and the Colonial Quarter LLC. is a viable management model for mitigating the challenges faced by heritages sites struggling to rely solely on public funding in the United States.

Copyright Date

6-1-2023

Copyright Statement / License for Reuse

All Rights Reserved
All Rights Reserved.

Publication Statement

Copyright is held by the author. User is responsible for all copyright compliance.

Rights Holder

Madeline Bonner

Provenance

Received from ProQuest

File Format

application/pdf

Language

English (eng)

Extent

179 pgs

File Size

10.8 MB

Discipline

Museum studies, History, Management

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